IRVINE : Tenants Seek to Block Cellular Phone Station

Nineteen office building tenants have signed a petition asking city officials to deny permission for installation of a cellular telephone relay station inside an office suite.

Tenants say they are concerned about the safety of the equipment and potential health effects of cellular transmissions. The city’s zoning administrator will review the AirTouch Cellular proposal today during a 1:30 p.m. public hearing at City Hall.

Tenants of the Marketplace shopping center near UC Irvine say they were given insufficient notice of the AirTouch proposal by city officials.

“There was a small sign that was posted that I just happened to see,” said Gary Phillips, a dentist whose office is next to the suite planned for the cellular equipment. “I need to be convinced that this is safe before I put my employees and my patients at risk.”

Phillips said he is also concerned that the equipment will be unmonitored.

City officials say the project is routine.

“It’s pretty common to locate this kind of equipment in office suites,” said senior planner Tim Gehrich. “There will be no health risk to anybody in the building.”

Tenant Al Dandashi says he’s not convinced that the equipment belongs in an office building.

“The burden of proof is on them to prove that there will be no long-term adverse effects on us,” Dandashi said. “This is supposed to be an office building.”

AirTouch spokeswoman Melissa May said the office suite would contain mostly computers, with antennas mounted on the roof. She said the company is increasingly using office suites for cellular equipment because of public opposition to the appearance of some outdoor sites.

Said May: “We’ve been trying to do more things that blend a cell site into an existing structure.”